A Way Out
by Rouge'sGambit
Summary: Alex Rider; Reborn!; Gallagher Girls- Alex and Cammie meet to investigate mafia upheaval in Namimori, Japan. Their mission; get close to Sawada Tsunayoshi and find out why the mafia's interested in him. Alex's goal; to find a way out of the spy's life.
1. Chapter 1

"Goooaal!"

Cheers filled the air, the crowd jumped to its feet, and the hair on the back of Alex Rider's neck stood up. He looked around surreptitiously, he could feel someone watching him, but in the crowded Chelsea stadium, he didn't recognize anyone besides his friend Tom Harris on his right and Jack Starbright, his guardian, on his left. Despite the thousands of people crowded around him he felt exposed. His hand drifted to the scar directly over his heart and his eyes shifted up, looking for snipers. Nothing.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked as he shifted around in his seat, searching.

"There's someone watching us," he murmured. Just loud enough for her to hear. He reached over and tapped Tom's shoulder. He jumped and turned to scold Alex, but the accusation died on his lips when he saw the concern in his friend's eyes.

"Something's wrong," Alex continued. "Get on the ground and cover your heads."

Jack started to protest, but seeing the look in her charge's eyes she did as she was told, pulling Tom down with her. Alex stood up and looked around again.

He saw a glint out of the corner of his eye and dove out of the way just as a shot sounded and a bullet buried itself in his vacant seat.

The cheers turned to screams and the crowd surged to its feet again, this time in flight. "Let's go," said Alex, pulling his companions behind him through the crowd. Once he was sure they were well on their way to the gates he let go and started running in another direction. He heard them calling after him, but he just ran faster. Someone was trying to kill him and if they were with him they would be in danger.

He ran to another gate and pushed his way out of the stadium. People were shoving all around him, he could hear sirens in the distance, but he stopped short at the sight of a man standing just outside the gate, wearing a ski mask and toting a large gun. Alex turned quickly, prepared to dart back into the crowd, but a shout from the man stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that, Alex," he yelled. "The second you start running I start shooting. And I don't particularly care who I hit." Alex hesitated but turned to face him. He could hear whimpers from the people around him.

"What do you want?" He was stalling for time, trying to think. What could he do?

The man laughed. "1.5 million dollars."

"What?"

"One And A Half Million American Dollars," the man repeated slowly. "That's the size of the price SCORPIA's got on your head. Dead or alive. And we intend to collect."

Alex groaned inwardly, but really, he wasn't surprised. There could only be so many attempts on your life before it ceased to be a shock.

To keep the men talking Alex asked the first question that popped into his head. "Who's we?"

The man laughed and wagged a finger insolently at Alex. "Nuh-uh, Alex. No names. No faces. You won't slip me up." He voice returned to it seriousness as it said, "Now get over here."

Alex glanced around and realized that, while they had been talking, the people had disappeared. He didn't know where they were and he didn't care. The man had lost his leverage.

"Why?" He asked innocently, backing up.

The man hesitated and looked around and Alex took that opportunity to run. He heard the man curse and bullets being fired. He dove behind a pillar and peered out to see the man lying on the ground in an ever widening pool of blood.

The sirens were closer now, police cars just pulling into view. Across the street was parked a black car with tinted windows. One of the windows was rolled down to reveal a pretty blonde woman in a black suit. She was holding a gun and beckoning to Alex. Alex recognized her as a patron of the Royal and General Bank. This woman was a spy, and she had just saved Alex's life.

Ten minutes later Alex was sitting in the office of Mr. Alan Blunt on the 15th floor of the Royal and General. He had been brought there immediately from the Chelsea Stadium and he still hadn't been told what was going on.

He looked around as the door opened to reveal Mr. Blunt and his assistant, Mrs. Jones.

"Alex," said Mrs. Jones upon seeing him. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

Alex kept his face carefully blank as he said, "I wish I could say the same."

If he hadn't known her better Alex might have thought he saw pity in her eyes when she said, "Yes, well, with the circumstances preceding your arrival we can hardly blame you for any distaste you might feel at being back here."

Alex snorted, but otherwise chose to ignore that comment. He could have said his distaste went far beyond assassination attempts. He could have said he had hated the place since he had first found out they were responsible for the death of the only family he had ever known, his uncle, Ian Rider. He could have said it, but he didn't, choosing instead to ask, "Why am I here?"

Mr. Blunt took this opportunity to speak up. "You're being sent to Japan."

"Excuse me?" asked Alex, bemused.

"We're sending you to Japan. Your plane leaves in four hours."

"Do I have a choice?" Asking was a formality. He already knew the answer.

"Of course you do Alex," said Mrs. Jones gently.

"Naturally," cut in Blunt. "There is always a choice. Now, if you will excuse me, I must prepare a press release. We will have to be careful to distance ourselves from this shooting. After all, it wouldn't do to have the public believe we had a vested interest in keeping a mere schoolboy alive."

Despite himself, Alex couldn't help but bristle at the words "mere schoolboy." Thanks to Blunt, Alex would never be a mere anything ever again. "So, that's it then?" Suspicion laced his voice and he did nothing to get rid of it. This was MI6. They didn't just let him go.

"I believe so." Blunt's voice was cold, emotionless, but that's how it always was. Alex couldn't tell if he was upset, or bored, or plotting. "Of course, with your refusal we will not be able to offer adequate protection to you or your guardian, or your friend for that matter, what's his name, John?"

Alex gritted his teeth at Blunt's feigned ignorance. As if he wasn't aware of every insignificant detail of Alex's life. "Tom. What do you mean, adequate protection?"

Blunt's raised eyebrow was probably the most emotion that Alex had ever seen on the grey man's face, and yet he still couldn't interpret what it meant. "Isn't it obvious? Your friends were seen with you at the shooting this afternoon. That one man was shot, but he was sure to have accomplices, and your friends are sure to have become targets."

The boy had to resist shivering at the feel of ice flooding his veins.

"Of course, if you were willing to work with us, we would be able to offer them some sort of protection, but as the matter stands..." The man trailed off, his hands spread in a "what can you do" gesture.

Of course. It wouldn't be that easy to get out of it. It never was. Once again Alan Blunt had proven that he held all the cards and that he would, in fact, never take no as an answer. Alex scowled in defeat. He had lost.

His thoughts were interrupted my Mr. Blunt looking at his watch. "Mrs. Jones will fill you in on the details. I have a meeting with the Prime Minister."

He got up and left and Mrs. Jones popped a peppermint into her mouth. Alex resisted a grimace. It was thanks to her that he now hated the smell of peppermint.

Without preamble Mrs. Jones said, "Over the last few months there has been an increase of activity in the Japanese mafia. This has coincided with an increase of travel by known members of the Italian mafia to certain locations in Japan, most specifically a city named Namimori. One of our former agents who retired to Namimori has contacted us, concerned. For unspecified reasons he doesn't feel qualified to investigate the situation. He requested the aid of our youngest available operative."

"And that would be me."

"Naturally. Not only are you young, but you speak decent Japanese and Italian, and you have experience with organized crime."

Alex resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. If you could count the fact that both the Chinese Triads and SCORPIA wanted his head on a platter, then it was true he had experience with organized crime. And it was true that he had studied undercover in SCORPIA for a time. But it wasn't long enough to say he really knew anything about it. And his Japanese was terrible.

Of course he didn't bother saying any of this. She already knew it all, and would assure him that they had considered it all carefully. She would say it had to be done and it was he who had to do it. And he would have nothing he could say against it.

"Mr. Blunt says my plane leaves in four hours."

"Yes. We had Ms. Starbright send a packed bag for you after she was escorted home. Under the present circumstances we decided it would be best for you to avoid familiar places." For once Alex had a hard time disagreeing with her. "You will go straight to the airport after Smithers equips you. From there you will fly to Washington DC, where you will meet up with your partner."

"Partner?" asked Alex, curious. "I have a partner?"

"Yes. An American girl," said Mrs. Jones, "and herein lies the second part of your mission."

"Second part?"

Mrs. Jones nodded. "This girl will be coming from a school set up specifically to train new spies. For obvious reasons we are curious about this school. While working with this girl you will find out everything you can about her school."

Alex nodded. "What's our cover?"

"You'll be siblings going to live with your grandfather. You will be staying with Richard Walker, one of our retired agents. He's the one who alerted us to the problem in the first place. He has three grandchildren living in America. Your cover will be as Mr. Walker's 14-year-old grandson, Adam. Your partner will be your 15-year-old sister, Emma. You'll receive more information when you reach Washington DC. From there you and Emma will fly to Japan."

"Who's the girl who's going to be Emma?" asked Alex, curious. He had never met another teenage spy. Blunt had insisted that the Americans would never allow their government to use children for such dangerous work.

"The CIA is choosing to withhold her name for the time being, in an attempt to keep the security of the school. We do know she is a fifteen-year-old pavement artist."

"Pavement artist?" Alex wasn't versed in spy jargon. It wasn't something Ian had bothered to teach him.

"She specializes in disappearing, in following others unseen."

"How many missions has she gone on?" Surly to have earned the title of pavement artist she must have finished quite a few missions. After all, he had gone on multiple missions for MI6 and still hadn't earned any title besides "Double 0 Nothing" from the SAS. Mrs. Jones hesitated and Alex saw something reminiscent of guilt in her eyes. "None."

"None?" How was that possible?

"The CIA refuses to use children in their work. She has, however, three years of study under some of the best teachers in the world."

"But no practical experience."

"No."

Alex groaned. He was going to be spending an indefinite amount of time in hostile territory with a school girl with absolutely no experience.

"I'd rather not," Alex said resolutely.

Mrs. Jones gave him a puzzled look and he continued. "I'd rather not have a partner who's going to get herself killed within hours, if it's all the same to you."

Mrs. Jones grimaced. "I'm sorry, Alex. Emma will be going with you."

"Every time I have had a partner, they've ended up dead. And they were people with field experience. I'm not going to bring a girl who has a guaranteed death sentence."

Mrs. Jones just looked at him. "I'm sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

The room was crowded when Cammie Morgan walked into her mother's office. Some of the people she recognized, her mother, her aunt Abby, and Mr. Solomon, but there were several men and women that she didn't know.

"Cammie," her mother said when she saw her, "come in."

Cammie smiled at the cheerful tone in her mother's voice, but the worry in her eyes made Cammie's stomach tie itself in knots. "What's going on?" she asked, proud of how her curiosity masked the nervousness in her voice.

Before her mother could respond one of the men, the most important looking one, started speaking. "Ms. Morgan," he said, his voice kind and serious, "My name is Joe Byrne, Deputy Director of the Covert Actions Division of the CIA. We realize that you're still in school, but we have a mission we would like you to accept."

"A mission?" Cammie asked, looking between her mother and Mr. Byrne. "What do you mean?"

"There is a situation rising in Japan. We don't have much information on the situation, but MI6 has asked for our help in their investigation." Cammie remained silent, so he continued. "They have an operative that they are planning to send in and we would like you to go in as his backup."

"Why me?" asked Cammie, perplexed. "Of everyone you could send in why me? Especially when I haven't even graduated yet."

One of the man's lackeys stepped forward and, with a nod of approval from his boss, started to rattle off reasons. "There are several reasons we would like you, Cameron Ann Morgan, to accept this mission. 1- For various reasons the best choice of operatives in this situation will be children. 2- You are known to be a successful pavement artist, a skill which will serve very useful in this mission. 3- You have the most field experience, whether sanctioned or not, of any of the students here at the Gallagher Academy. 4- You bear a striking resemblance to MI6's agent. This is important because your cover will be as siblings. 5- You are wanted by the Circle of Caven, and one of the last places they will think to look for you would be in Japan." The man finished off his list and stepped back.

Cammie just stared at them, dumbfounded.

"You don't have to accept this mission if you don't want to Cammie," said her mother supportingly "You're not a member of the CIA yet. You're not even an adult. It's completely up to you whether you agree or not."

Cammie looked back at Mr. Byrne and he nodded. "Your mother's absolutely right, Ms. Morgan. We won't try to force you if you don't want to go. It could be dangerous, I'm not going to lie, but we could really use your help."

Abby looked between her niece and her boss before saying, "Maybe you should tell Cammie what the mission is before you make her decide.

"We don't know much," said Mr. Byrne apologetically. "Italian mafiosi are congregating in Japan, and for the last year or so there has been a drastic increase of unrest among the yakuza there."

"Yakuza?"

"It's the Japanese equivalent of the mafia," said Mr. Solomon, speaking for the first time. "They're generally pretty calm for organized crime. Unrest among them is unnatural, and usually means trouble."

"That's right. MI6 is very concerned, and the Japanese government refuses to answer their questions. They want you and their operative to gather information, that's it."

"Who's their agent?"

"You'll meet him soon, if you choose to accept this mission. He's very young, only fourteen, but he's good. I've worked with him twice and been very impressed with his work. He has a 100% success rate, which is almost unheard of."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Just how many missions has he gone on?"

"I'm not sure," said Mr. Byrne. He turned to another member of his entourage and she consulted a list before saying, "He's been on two for us, and we know know of two for MI6. It's suspected that he's been on another two for MI6 and it's rumored that he's even worked with the ASIS."

Mr. Solomon gave a low whistle. Abby was nodding thoughtfully. "We'd heard his name, of course," she said slowly. "Who hasn't in our line of work? But I'd always thought he was some sort of espionage myth."

"I felt the same way," said Mr. Solomon. "How is it possible that someone so careless as to let his name be known all over the world is so successful at such a young age?"

"I don't know," said Mr. Byrne, "but I can't argue with that success."

Cammie's mother looked at her and then back to Mr. Byrne. "If everything we've heard about this kid is true," she said carefully, "then he has some powerful enemies. Is it wise to send him and Cammie off alone together?"

Mr. Byrne smiled reassuringly. "MI6 is currently working to distract SCORPIA as they sneak him out of the country. I assume the Circle of Caven is watching the school?" he asked. Rachel nodded. "And you have ways to get people out of the school unobserved?" Another nod. "If we can get them to Washington DC unobserved, we should be able to to get them to Japan safely. There they will be under the care of a retired MI6 agent. He'll have measures in place to keep them safe."

"And he's aware of the circumstances?"

"MI6 has assured me that he has been fully debriefed.

"Have you met him?" asked Abby, leaning on her sister's desk.

"I haven't had the pleasure, but I've heard of him and his reputation is good."

"His success rate?" asked Mr. Solomon.

"92%. Not as high as some, but still very good. He has over forty years of experience on his side. And he's never lost a partner. He won't let them get into needless danger."

Rachel nodded and looked at her daughter again. It wasn't until the eyes of everyone in the room were on her did Cammie realize they were waiting for her to say something.

She shifted nervously and fiddled with the truth ring she always wore on her right hand. "Um, I guess I only have one question," she said. "Who _is_ my partner?"


	3. Chapter 3

Alex's plane set down in Washington DC early the next morning. He was accompanied by the woman who had saved his life at the stadium. She was acting as his "mother" and his body guard. He found it almost disconcerting, the strange increase of security. Previously he'd never been accompanied in his travel. MI6 rarely saw a need to give him a partner. He'd previously found it irritating, wishing they'd show a bit more concern for his health when they sent him into potentially fatal situations. Now he almost wished they hadn't.

His "mother" lead the way to a shuttle that took them to a slightly run down bed and breakfast, Catherine Ingram's Attic. Alex snorted. They were always so obvious with their acronyms. When they reached their rooms his "mother" wouldn't even let him set foot through the doors until she had searched the room and scanned it for bugs. She gave him the okay and he pulled off the itchy black wig he'd been forced into. He couldn't stop thinking that SCORPIA had better disguises.

Waiting on a bedside table was a stack of business cards for the b&b. The top one was flipped over and on the back, in bold, black writing, were the words "Room 327. 12:00." It was 6:00 am, he had 9 hours. Plenty of time to take a nap.

His spy mother sat in a chair at an angle from the window. She remained silent and Alex found himself grateful for that. She didn't want to be there, he didn't want her there. It was better if they just ignored each other. He set his watch for 11:45 and laid down on the lumpy hotel mattress. You would think the CIA would provide better accommodations.

He drifted off quickly, but slept fitfully. His mind was full of chaotic images and sounds. Jack and Tom at the game. The crack of a gunshot. There was pain in his chest, he was dying. Faces flashed past, friends and enemies alike. Yassen Gregoravich. Nile. Ash. Belinda Troy and Tom Turner. Herod Sayle. They were dead. All of them. And it was his fault. Blood covered his hands, soaked into his clothes. He was drowning in it. It filled his ears, his mouth, his eyes. He choked, drowning in blood. It was thick, warm and salty. The bodies floated while he sank. He couldn't swim. He saw red, the people cried out to him, screaming, begging to be saved. All he could do was choke, swallowing the tangy liquid. He choked and coughed, coughed and choked, the screams and blood filling his ears. And the beeping, oh the beeping. The ticking of a bomb. He had to stop it, had to stop others from dying, but the beeping continued on and on, never ending, as Alex sank deeper and deeper into darkness.

Alex sat up. His watch continued to beep in a high pitched whine. Smither's sure knew how to make them, he thought wryly, rolling out of bed. When the large inventor had given him the watch he had smiled largely, like a kid in a toy store- though the person who could confuse Smithers with a child was sad indeed. After pointing out all the nifty gadgets he had installed in the watch including a GPS tracker/emergency beacon that he could activate at will, and a mirrored surface that he could use to check corners, he had proudly shown him how it was a fully functioning watch, complete with abnormally annoying alarm.

After taking five minutes to wake up and fix his appearance he turned to his "mother" who was still guarding the window. Had she moved at all, the entire time he was asleep?

He cleared his throat and her gaze flickered over him before returning to the window. "I'm going to a meeting."

He jumped when she stood up quickly. "Uh, you don't have to come with me," he said uncomfortably. Why couldn't she just let him be for two minutes? "I mean," he gestured at the room around him, with its tacky furniture and pristine interior, "Look at where we are. Catherine Ingram's Attic? We're in friendly territory. I think I'm safe."

The woman shook her head. Alex didn't like the tell-tale gleam in her eye. "Mrs. Jones gave me strict instructions. I'm to stay with you until you leave for your mission."

His stomach sank. "What does that mean exactly?"

"I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight." Her face was blank, her eyes emotionless. Did all spies end up like this, after years of letting MI6 control their lives? Ian hadn't been like this, but Ian had been special, unlike any other spy Alex had met. Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones were certainly the epitome of being detached, unfeeling. He shuddered. He had to get out before his life was consumed like this woman's had been.

In an attempt to lift the oppressive air he asked, "I am still allowed to have privacy in the lou, correct?"

No reaction whatsoever.

"Right," he muttered, not sure if he wanted her to hear or not. "This is going to be fun."


	4. Chapter 4

**This is probably my worst chapter so far. Please message and tell me how I can improve it.**

* * *

Cammie couldn't help shifting uncomfortably in the lumpy motel chair. She didn't need to check her watch to know that her new partner was exactly 36 seconds late for their meeting. In the field tardiness cost lives. Mr. Byrne and a few members of his entourage were waiting with her. They didn't seem to be anxious about her partner's lateness, so she tried to let herself relax, but after spending over a year with Joe Solomon stressing the importance of perfection in the field she couldn't help feeling anxious over his sloppiness.

It was exactly one minute and and four seconds later that a knock sounded on the door. One of the lackeys opened it to reveal a boy standing in the hall. Recalling the very first thing Mr. Solomon had taught her she tried to catch every detail. He was about her age, maybe a year or so younger, but a couple inches taller. He had shaggy fair hair that barely avoided hanging in his eyes. Eyes that were brown, serious, and seemed to take in everything around him. His body was lithe, his muscles visible beneath his thin nondescript t-shirt. He was attractive in a closed sort of way. She knew that closed look, it was the one she'd worn after her father died, and again after the Circle started hunting her. She wondered what had happened to make him wear such an expression. Behind the boy stood a middle-aged woman who reminded Cammie of a stiff, emotionless version of her mother. She was wearing plain, mom-ish clothes, and it wasn't until Cammie saw her did she realize that everyone was wearing regular clothing. There weren't any suits or sunglasses in sight. How had she missed that? What happened to Mr. Solomon's mantra of "notice everything"? She'd have to do better than that.

Mr. Byrne greeted the boy and warmly shook his hand. The boy smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He didn't want to be here, that much was obvious.

"Adam, welcome," said Mr. Byrne. Cammie noticed with interest that Mr. Byrne referred to him by his cover. Why? If this boy was so well known, what was the point of trying to hide who he was?

As Alex entered the room Mr. Byrne turned the woman, who was following closely on his heels. "Who are you?" he asked politely.

She pulled out a badge and showed it to the man. "Agent Audrey Burns. I'm responsible for Adam's protection for the time being."

"No one told me you were coming." His voice was emotionless, carefully avoiding accusation, but also void of welcome.

"It was a last minute assignment. There were complications not long before we left." She was matter of fact as she said the words, but Alex's shoulders tensed. It was slight, just a momentary revelation of discomfort, but it was enough to tell Cammie that the complications had been very difficult for him. Mr. Byrne had mentioned SCORPIA, one of the most dangerous groups in the world. Had they been involved? She scanned him surreptitiously, but he didn't seem to be injured. Probably not then? SCORPIA wasn't known for being gentle.

She was drawn back to the conversation as Mr. Byrne said, "I'm sorry, Agent Burns, but I'm going to have to ask you to wait in the hall."

The agent blinked at him, showing more emotion than Cammie had yet seen on her impassive face. "My job is to keep Adam safe."

"And you can do so just as well from out in the hallway." His voice was kind but his eyes were stubborn. "You don't have clearance for this meeting, and unless I receive word from Mrs. Jones, I cannot allow you to be part of it."

Cammie's eyes flicked to Alex in time to see a mock sympathetic smile. "Don't worry Ms. Burns, I'm sure it's completely safe. With the large windows and flimsy walls. Nothing could harm me in here." His smile stayed in place but his eyes were malicious. Even though Cammie was sure she could kill him more than twenty different ways just with the litter in her pockets, she was also sure she never wanted to get on his bad side. Those eyes had seen things- horrible things- and they scared her.

Whether she was scared or not, Agent Burns simply continued to glare at her teenage charge. Mr. Byrne ignored her anger as he chivied her from the room and shut the door in her face.

Alex had to resist sighing in relief once Agent Burns was shut from the room. As much as he disliked the CIA, MI6 agents were infinitely worse.

"It's good to see you kid," said Mr. Byrne. "We heard about the shooting in Chelsea and we were worried you wouldn't show."

Alex shrugged deprecatingly. "It's why they hurried me out so fast. Nothing like snipers to get the ball rolling." His hand drifted to a spot over his heart and Cammie wondered again what had happened to this boy.

Mr. Byrne determinedly ignored the movement as he said, "Well, we're glad you're here."

Alex smiled faintly and took a seat. He looked over at Cammie, examining her. She tried to avoid squirming, but it was very difficult. He gave off the same sort of feeling as Mr. Solomon, like he was examining her under a very powerful microscope.

"She my partner?" Alex asked, turning to Mr. Byrne for confirmation. When the man nodded Alex looked back at the girl. She was pretty, but not enough to stand out. Not too tall or short, not excessively skinny, but not overweight. This girl was the kind of person who could blend in in almost any crowd in Europe, or America, or even Australia. But she would stick out like a sore thumb in Japan.

Her eyes said she was vulnerable, and scared. She knew what she was getting into, but she wasn't prepared. Not really. No one could be prepared for their first mission, but she didn't need to be here. It wasn't like they didn't have someone to do the job. They were putting her in harm's way needlessly.

"I can't do this," he said, standing up and making for the door. "I won't. I told Mrs. Jones I'd take her with me, but I've changed my mind." He looked Mr. Byrne in the eye as he said, "I won't bring her with me. Not when she doesn't need to be there."

Mr. Byrne met his gaze. "I'm sorry, Adam, but if Emma wants to go on this mission, I won't stop her."

Alex ground his teeth in irritation as he turned to look at the girl still sitting calmly at the table. "I want to go," she said stubbornly. "I want to help."

Mr. Byrne looked back to Alex, his hands spread in a "Well, there you go," gesture.

Alex stepped close to Mr. Byrne and hissed, "I won't be responsible for the death of my partner, Joe. Not again."

From the corner of his eye he could see the girl looking at him with concern. Good. He wanted her scared.

"It's not as simple as all that." When Alex looked sharply at him, Mr. Byrne continued. "Whether she's here or in Japan, Emma will not be safe. She's wanted by the Circle of Caven almost as much as you're wanted by SCORPIA."

"She's wanted by who?"

"The Circle of Caven."

"Never heard of them."

Cammie had to remind herself that, up until a few months ago, she hadn't heard of the Circle either. Her life had been practically run by them for so long that she found it hard to believe that most people didn't even know they existed.

"They're an underground terrorist organization, and they want Emma."

Cammie thought she saw a bit of respect in Alex's eyes as he looked at her again. She felt a inexplicable pride that she'd been able to impress him.

"It's a hereditary thing," she said casually. "We're not sure what they want yet."

"Sending her out of the country will hopefully take her out of their sights for a while while we work to track them down."

Alex opened his mouth, then shut it again. He was still scowling but he didn't look quite as upset as he had before. He sat down again.

Mr. Byrne took that opportunity to start talking again. He didn't say much, and most of it Alex had already heard. He mentioned the mafia and its rising in Japan. He said a little about the MI6 operative living in Namimori who had brought the issue to attention in the first place.

Alex had to avoid yawning.

* * *

At the end of the meeting it was decided that the kids would spend another two days in DC while they got to know each other and learn their legends. It took Alex less than three seconds after being dismissed to get out of his chair and over to the window. It wasn't until he was on his hands and knees examining the bottom of the floor to ceiling window that Cammie had to ask.

"Um, Adam, what are you doing?"

Instead of answering he pushed it open as far as it would go and started working at the screen. She was about to ask again when he turned back to her. "What room are you in?"

"Uh, 202, why?"

Still refusing to answer Alex simply smiled grimly before ducking out of the window. "I'll see you soon then."

Cammie squeaked as the boy dropped out of sight. Rushing to the window with everybody else in the room she looked down to see Alex perched on a ledge just outside.

"What are you doing?" Perhaps she shouldn't be too shocked, she was best friends with Bex, but she never expected anyone else to simply jump out a window.

Alex looked up at her. "What does it look like?"

"Jumping out of a third story window?" Cammie turned to look at Mr. Byrne and found that, instead of looking upset he simply seemed amused.

"Do you really think you can avoid her?"

The boy allowed a smile for a brief moment before returning his attention to inching his way along the thin ledge. "Probably not, but I can buy a little time for myself."

"And what if, just hypothetically speaking, SCORPIA decides to take a potshot at you while you're perched out there on the side of our building?"

The boy's answering smile was cheeky smile. "Wasn't that the purpose of sneaking me out of England in the first place?"

"And in giving you a bodyguard."

He didn't seem to think this was worthy of a reply.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is, finally, the next chapter- and some slight changes have been made to Chapter 4. Mostly, Cammie thinks of Alex as Alex (not Adam) the whole time. **

* * *

Cammie returned to her room after Alex disappeared from sight. It had been amusing to leave the conference to be faced with the angry Agent Burns. When Mr. Byrne informed her that her charge jumped out of the third story window she had raced from the room, throwing a litany of curses over her shoulder.

She couldn't help but sigh as she opened the door to her room. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting from the amazing Alex Rider. It could have been a mini James Bond, or maybe someone more like Maxwell Smart, but what she hadn't been expecting was exactly what he was- a kid. A cold, angry, extremely talented kid, but he was still a kid. Still fought against authority, still hated being told what to do, and still did stupid things just to show he had his own independence. And still, apparently, perfectly willing to sneak into a teenage girl's room with no invitation.

Cammie was quite proud of herself for not dropping her armful of notes, but it was a close call. "Wh- what are you doing here?"

Alex looked up from where he had been laying on the girl's bed. Considering she had gotten to use the stairs she had taken quite awhile to make it to her room. Though, she had probably got caught up in explanations to Agent Burns as to why he wasn't still in the conference room. He couldn't help but grin at the idea of the ever calm agent loosing her cool.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" It struck him that this girl seemed to ask that question a lot.

The same thing seemed to occur to her because she scowled. "You're in my bed."

"Would you care to join me?" He couldn't resist letting himself waggle his eyebrows suggestively, this girl was just so uptight. He was surprised, however, when she simply raised an eyebrow.

"I already have a boyfriend."

And that would be the mysterious Z, Alex thought, remembering the small note he'd found tucked into her jacket pocket. It probably wasn't good form to search his partner's room minutes after they had met, but after having worked with Ash, he was wary of anyone calling themselves his partner.

"Oh, really? How's that work for you?" He knew how hard it was to keep friends in the spy life. It was hard to keep relationships if you were continuously lying, and when anyone who knew the truth would be in constant danger. "He okay with all the lies you have to tell him?"

He thought he saw a flash of discomfort in her eyes, but it was quickly chased away by the hint of amusement. "I can't keep a secret from him."

Alex raised an eyebrow at that, not bothering to hide his surprise. "So, you go ahead and tell him all your secrets- why? Because you're dating?" Disapproval tinged his voice; he let it. This mission would be impossible if he was teamed with a girl who spilled all her secrets to the first handsome face.

Before he'd even finished speaking however she was already shaking her head. "I don't tell him anything. Trust me, I don't try to let him know all my secrets. He just does, he finds them out on his own."

"So he's a spy too." It wasn't a question. It was simply the only explanation to the evidence she'd given him. She made no move to argue.

Alex frowned, processing this information. The spy world must be much more tightly knit in America than in Great Britain. He'd noticed before, how he was much more likely to get a partner when working with the Americans. But to actually have them dating each other. Surly that couldn't be safe, being intimately involved with someone who was just as much a liability as you were? Shaking his head he reminded himself that it wasn't any of his business. If she wanted to date another spy then that was certainly her prerogative, as long as it didn't interfere with their mission. "What's your name?"

Cammie froze at the unexpected question. How did he make the jump from Zach, her superspy boyfriend, to her real name? Not that that really mattered at the moment. The true question was, should she tell him? When she had brought up the question with her mother she'd been told it was up to her judgment, that she'd have to decide whether Alex could be trusted or not. She'd asked her friends shortly before she left and their advice had been varied to say the least. Liz had been all for a definitive show of trust, and what could be better than sharing names. Bex saw it as fair trade, as long as he was trustworthy- and preferably cute- after all, she knew his name. Macey argued for caution.

Now, standing in front of one of the world's foremost spies Cammie had to decide for herself. Did she trust Alex Rider enough to share her name or would she stick with her legend? "Emma," she finally said, looking him straight in the eye. "Emma Walker." She dared him to challenge her decision, to try to force her to tell him her name. Instead he smiled and nodded, though she thought she could see anger in his eyes. Or maybe it was disappointment. Whatever it was he dropped the subject for the moment, moving on, instead, to the topic of their mission.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait and the mostly filler chapter. The next one should be out soon, considerably longer, and hopefully in Japan- though it might take a little longer to introduce Tsuna. Thanks for all the reviews so far, though I have to admit I probably won't answer many- but they do make me smile :) Have a great day!**


	6. Chapter 6

PROS AND CONS OF TAKING

A TEN HOUR FLIGHT WITH

YOUR SUPER HOT-SUPERSPY PARTNER

PRO: Plenty of time to get to know each other

CON: That only works if he will talk

PRO: It totally looks like you have a super hot boyfriend

CON: You totally have to pretend to have a super hot younger brother

PRO: Time to think

CON: There's nothing to think about besides the secret society you're running from and the hoard of mafiosi you're running towards.

Cammie couldn't remember ever being more relieved then she was when their plane finally landed in Tokyo. He'd said all of two things through the entire flight, the first asking if she wanted the window seat and the second to tell the flight hostess that they did not want the in flight refreshments, thank you very much. She found herself resenting the way he took control of the situation, not even asking her opinion, not that she wanted the bad airline food, but it would have been nice to be asked.

It reminded her of Zach, his cocky arrogance and surety that he knew better than she did. The only difference was that Zach wasn't two years younger than her. Not for the first time since she had met Alex she wished her friends were with her. Boys, she just didn't understand them; first Josh, then Zach, and now Alex Rider. They just didn't make any sense, especially without Macey there to translate for her.

After they disembarked the kids took a Shinkansen, or bullet train, to Sendai, where they caught a bus to Namimori. Cammie was glad they'd been told not to bring much, reflecting that multiple bags would be a nightmare to keep track of between all the stops. Waiting for them at the Namimori bus stop was an old man. He was white- with white hair, a white mustache, and a white suit. His face was wrinkled and he wore spectacles that kept slipping down his hooked nose. He was holding a sign that said "Walker." Alex figured it had to be a joke, considering he was the only person at the stop, let alone the only white person.

Seeing him Alex smiled, or tried to. He waved a hand above his head and called out "Gram-pa." People passing stared at him and Cammie rolled her eyes, though Alex thought she might be hiding a grin. When they reached Mr. Walker the older man rapped him on the head with his knuckles. "This is Japan," he said in Japanese, "here you will treat your elders with respect."

Alex wanted to scowl, but knew that he had to keep up appearances, so instead he followed Cammie's lead and bowed to the old man. Starting over in the same language he said. "Hello, Ojii-san, it's wonderful to see you."

Mr. Walker bowed in return and said, "I am happy to see you also, Adam-kun, Emma-chan. It has been too long." He smiled then, hugged Alex and placed a kiss on Cammie's forehead. "I've missed you." Then taking the girl's backpack he put an arm around her shoulders and started off, leading the way home. "How is your family?" he asked as Alex hurried to catch up.

"They're doing well," was Cammie's reply. "Oto-san is back working for the newspaper as a sports journalist, and Okaa-san is still as involved in the PTA as ever."

"And your sister?" he asked Alex.

"Lily-chan? She's twelve now, and becoming quite the socialite. It's very rare that she'll be home by the time I get done with football practice in the evenings."

"Good, good," said Mr. Walker absentmindedly and Alex breathed a sigh of relief. To anyone listening the conversation may have sounded trivial, but in reality it was a very strict code. If they had gotten even one word wrong Mr. Walker would have shot them of the spot. And they had had to say it in a language they hadn't had much use for up until now.

By the time they reached the house Alex could barely walk from exhaustion, the long days of travel were catching up to him. It irritated him to see Cammie looking as fresh and chipper as she had when they had boarded the plane in DC approximately sixteen hours previously. She practically bounced as Mr. Walker let them in and lead them to the rooms they would be staying in for the next month or so. The house was small and very European, much to Alex's pleasure. He had not been looking forward to spending a month sleeping on a tetimi mat. Mr. Walker turned to leave the room once he made sure he had everything he needed, but Alex stopped him.

"Don't we need to debrief?" he asked, fighting to keep his eyes open.

The old man looked back over his shoulder. Alex was swaying where he stood. "You're practically dead on your feet kid," he said in English, fighting back a laugh. "I think we can spare a couple hours for you to take a nap. The mafia aren't going anywhere."

Hearing that, Alex allowed himself to fall onto the bed, not even bothering to change. He was asleep within seconds.

* * *

Alex woke late the next morning. He probably would have slept longer, but the sun shone through his window and into his eyes. The smell of rice and coffee wafted up to his sensitive nose and his stomach gurgled loudly. He got up and quickly changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a nondescript t-shirt. He looked around for his trainers and only then remembered that he was in Japan and that the culture was very different from what he was used to. His shoes were beside the front door, because it was rude to wear shoes in a Japanese house.

He sighed and went downstairs. Cammie and Mr. Walker were sitting at the table with bowls of white rice and some sort of soup in front of them. Mr. Walker was sipping from a small cup while Cammie cradled a larger porcelain mug and Alex could smell the faint scent of green tea underneath the overpowering scent of coffee. The old man looked up when he heard Alex enter the room.

"Good morning Adam," he said in English. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you." They lapsed into silence.

"Please, sit down." Walker gestured to the seat across from him, next to Cammie. Alex sat and the silence continued.

"Are you hungry?" Alex nodded. "What would you like? I've got rice and miso soup, toast, nori, fish..."

"Is there any cereal?" Mr. Walker nodded and fetched a bowl and spoon, milk, and a box of cereal- it looked like cornflakes.

"It's hard to find good cereal here," the man said apologetically. "They don't eat it much. Tea?"

"Yes please." At this Cammie wrinkled her nose. Right. American's didn't drink tea. They preferred coffee in the mornings. Savages.

Walker got the tea and then watched Alex as he ate. Feeling uncomfortable with the older man's eyes on him Alex swallowed his cereal and asked, "So what's going on here?" Cammie, who had been staring sleepily into the depths of her cup, perked up. This conversation was important.

"What have you been told?"

"Not much. There's something going on with the Italian mafia and it's bleeding into the yakuza here. They said you would give us the details when we got here." Cammie nodded her agreement, apparently still too tired for speech.

Walker was quiet for a moment before he got up. "I'll be right back," he said, and hurried out of the room. Alex had just started to dig into his meal when he was surprised by Cammie asking, "Ever get the impression he's just a bit scatter brained?"

Alex snorted and continued to eat.

When Mr. Walker came back he had a thick manila folder tucked under one arm. "What do you know about the Italian mafia?" he asked, tossing the folder onto the table.

"Nothing really. Last time I was in Italy I was a bit preoccupied by SCORPIA. I didn't have anything to do with the mafia."

"The Italian mafia is divided into multiple famiglias, or families. The Vongola, Gesso, Tomaso- they're all different, but they're all dangerous," said Cammie.

Walker nodded his approval. "Very good Emma. Some of the families have formed alliances over the years. The most powerful of these alliances is the Vongola Famiglia Alliance. The Vongola Famiglia has been around for nine generations. It was started by a bunch of vigilantes who were rumored to be no more than children. Their leader was a man named Giotto, but he has become better known as Vongola Primo. The Vongola Famiglia grew until it was the most powerful of all the mafia families. Their current leader is Vongola Nono, a man named Timoteo."

"Okay," said Alex, uncomprehending. "What does that have to do with Japan?"

"Maybe nothing." Walker said. "But mafiosi, especially members of the Vongola Alliance, both known and alleged, have been cropping up in Namimori over the last few months. They don't seem to be doing much, but it's my experience that the Vongola never do anything without a reason."

Walker flipped open the folder handed a picture to Cammie. Alex leaned over to get a better look. It looked like a surveillance photo, slightly grainy and at a bad angle, but it was clear enough that Alex could make out a middle aged man with shaggy black hair and wearing a white lab coat. "This man goes by the name of Doctor Shamal. He's a famous hitman in mafia circles and is a member of the Vongola Famiglia. They call him Trident Shamal, and he's known for infecting his victims with incurable diseases, though we don't know how. I first saw him three weeks ago. The rumor is he had to flee Italy for being a womanizer. The question is, why did he show up here?"

He took the picture back and handed them another one. The subject of this photo had obviously been aware she was being followed because she was smiling at the camera. She looked to be in her late teens with pink hair and a black tattoo of a scorpion on her shoulder. Alex couldn't help but shudder at the memories that picture brought up. In the woman's hand was what seemed to be a wedding cake. "This is the Poison Scorpion, we don't know her real name. She's a free-lance hitman with ties to the Vongola. As her name suggests she is well known for poisoning her targets. She showed up a couple weeks before Shamal."

Walker flipped through more names and photos. Dino Chiavarone, called the Bronco, the 22 year old boss of the Chiavarone Famiglia and a great ally to the Vongola. Hurricane Bomb Hayato, an uncontrollable demolitions expert who was nevertheless incredibly loyal to his family and no older than Alex's 14 years. Fuuta de la Stella, not even ten yet, but already coveted throughout the mafia world for his uncanny ability to rank people accurately- also known as the Ranking Prince. Mukuro Rokudo, there was no picture to accompany this name, a mafia criminal who killed off his entire family when he wasn't much older than the Ranking Prince. Rumor had it that he had recently done something else to anger the mafia world and had been taken to their worst prison- the fabled Vendicare.

The last picture he handed them was nothing more than a police sketch. It showed the round face of a toddler, with long, curling sideburns, and a creepily intelligent look in his black eyes. He was wearing a dark hat with a lizard perched on the brim.

"Who's this?" asked Alex, laying aside the picture of a guy named Lanchia.

"This is Reborn. He's a legend in the criminal underworld. He's known as the World's Strongest Hitman, and as the man most trusted by Vongola Nono."

"He's a midget then?" asked Cammie, examining the picture closely.

"Nope. Or at least, not that anyone'll say. Rumor has it that he's a genuine baby."

Alex lifted an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Walker shrugged. "I agree. I didn't even think he existed until a couple of months ago."

"What made you change your mind?"

"I've seen him. Well, caught glimpses is probably more accurate. He's here. In Japan. And he's as small as they say."

Alex was tempted not to believe him, to think this was all some big joke. But if he had learned anything in his time with MI6 it was that they didn't have a sense of humor If Walker said this kid was a hitman then, no matter how strange it sounded, he was.

"What does he want?"

Mr. Walker shook his head. "I don't know. His movements make no sense. The only times I've seen him he's been hanging around this kid." He pulled out another photo, this one of a short kid in his early teens with thick brown hair and a goofy, panicked expression on his face. "I've tracked him down. His name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, and he's fourteen years old."

A light seemed to click on in Cammie's eyes. "That's why we're here. Why we're being sent to school. To meet up with this kid."

"Exactly." Walker smiled with approval. "Sawada seems to be tied up with every strange thing going on, and it's your job to find out how."

"Does his family have any connections to this Reborn?" Alex asked.

"Not that we've found. His mother, Sawada Nana, lives here in Japan and seems to be one of the nicest people on the planet, if a bit dim. His father's been gone for years, working traffic in construction sites overseas."

"And Sawada himself doesn't have any extraordinary talents? Nothing really stands out about him?"

Walker shook his head. "Not that I've found. His grades are mediocre. He doesn't have any awards or extracurriculars. I haven't found anything interesting about him."

"So our job is to find out what the Italian mafia wants with a seemingly ordinary Japanese kid like Sawada Tsunayoshi."

The old man nodded. "You need to be very careful. These people are dangerous, and we don't know what they want. Worse still, we don't know if Sawada has any knowledge of them. If he doesn't, you have to do everything in your power to keep him from the truth."

The rest of that morning was spent going over various details of the Italian mafia, most of the information that MI6 and the CIA had. That afternoon Walker showed them around Namimori, pointing out the sites and places of importance, including a safe-house that looked more like a high tech bomb shelter located behind Namimori Shrine, and Namimori Middle, their new school. Once they returned home he gave them their uniforms.

"Try these on," he said, "I want to make sure they fit before tomorrow."

The uniform consisted of dark blue trousers with a white shirt and blue necktie. Alex smiled as he loosened his tie. It seemed that school uniforms were the same world wide. He showed to Walker who nodded his approval and handed him a selection of navy blazers and vests. "Pick one."

Dutifully he tried each on, finally deciding on a vest as it didn't pull at the shoulders like the blazer did. As Walker was examining his uniform Cammie emerged in a very similar outfit. The biggest difference was that instead of a straight tie hers was a red bowtie and she was wearing a skirt. She looked rather pretty, he thought, surprised. "She's supposed to be my sister," he scolded himself. Tearing himself away from those thoughts he asked, "How is she supposed to do anything in a skirt?"

Cammie looked down at herself and shrugged. "I'll manage," she said casually. "We wear them at school, so it;s what I'm used to. As long as we don't have to parachute or something I'll be fine."

Alex decided to drop it. Simply hoping that the skirt wouldn't cause problems seemed ludicrous to him, after all, he'd ended up parachuting on his first mission, but there wasn't much she could do about it anyway. It was the school uniform so it was what she had to wear.

"She will be fine," Walker reassured him. "She has shorts to wear underneath, just in case."

Cammie smiled sweetly at him and Alex realized that she was teasing him. Of course they would make sure she would be able to fight in her uniform.


	7. Chapter 7

**Another filler type chapter. I promise the next one will take place at the school and have Tsuna and his guardians/friends in it.**

* * *

The next morning Alex forced himself out of bed at five. Still half asleep he got dressed, stumbled downstairs, and made his way outside, only stopping to grab a bottle of water and his trainers. It was still dark but here was a hint of rose in the Eastern sky. He stretched and looked around, taking his bearings.

Ever since he was little Alex had run every morning with his uncle, Ian. It had kept him fit and built up his endurance. When he had started to play football, and added a series of press ups, chin ups and sit ups, his morning routine became even more beneficial. It wasn't until this year, when he'd been forcibly conscripted into MI6, had he realized the true value of his training regime. If he hadn't been fit, he would have been dead. Running had saved his life more times than he cared to count. So he ran, every morning.

This morning, however, running served another purpose. He wanted to get another view of the city, not from the view of a tourist spy but as a person. Jogging would allow him to tour the city without interrupting its flow. He wanted to see the people and learn their ways, but more importantly he wanted to learn his way around Namimori. He wanted to be able to find his way no matter what. Know your surroundings. Alex intended to know it back to front. It took him an hour to run the city, finishing with a quick run through of the safe house Walker had shown them earlier.

Cammie came downstairs as he was completing his exercise regime. "Do you do this every morning?" She asked after he'd finished. If she'd expected him to be surprised at her presence she was disappointed. He didn't even look at her as he walked into the kitchen and refilled his water bottle.

"Yeah, I do," he said after taking a long drink. "You?"

She shrugged. "I was given some exercises to do while I'm here. At home we have P&E so we don't worry about personal training."

"PE?" Alex asked scornfully. "The only exercise you get is in gym class?"

The girl shook her head. "It's not PE. It's P _and_ E. It stands for Protection and Enforcement. It's a couple hours a day where we learn various ways to protect ourselves and those around us." She retrieved the milk from the fridge as Alex fetched cereal and bowls.

"What's it like?" Alex asked after a few bites of cereal. "Going to a spy school?"

She had to think for a while before answering. What _was_ it like? "I'm not sure I can explain it very well. I've never really known anything else. Even before I started at the school my dad was, well..." She stopped and bit her lip, afraid she'd said too much. She'd already made the decision not to tell Alex everything. She wasn't going to explain about her dad before she'd even told him her name. When he simply raised that eyebrow in question though she felt safe to continue. "Anyway. The school is, I don't know, it's safe. We have the tightest security, the best teachers, but it's more than that. Every day I'm surrounded by my sisters, and I know that no matter what happens they've got my back, just like I've got theirs. And it's not just at the school. All around the world there are alumni from the Academy who are dedicated to the protection of every girl who has attended. Even now, here, I know that if I call, at least one of the best spies in the world will come."

Alex shook his head, his mouth full of cornflakes.

"What?" asked Cammie, curious about what was going on behind those impassive eyes.

"Nothing." The words were mumbled, his mouth still full.

"No. What is it?" The more Alex refused to answer the more curiosity gnawed at Cammie.

"It's just," he turned to look at her and she was surprised to see anger in his eyes, "you seem to have a lot of faith in a group of people you've never met."

If she hadn't been sitting at the table Cammie probably would have taken a step back. Why was he so angry? "I don't have to meet them. They're my sisters. I _know_ them."

"But how do you know them?" He practically growled, pushing himself back violently from the table. Milk sloshed from the carton and Alex's water bottle toppled over, soaking everything. Alex payed no attention. "How do you know you can trust them? Because they're alumni from your school? Because you're all _sisters_? That doesn't matter. Family doesn't _mean_ anything. Not really. Not when it matters."

Cammie stared at him, wide eyed, as he paced around Walker's small kitchen, pulling at his sandy hair. Alex had always struck her as a very self-contained person. A little snarky, with some obviously buried problems, but not the type to lose it over a simple description of her school.

"You don't know!" he yelled, rounding on her, an accusing finger in her face. "You don't know anything. You think because you've gone to a special school and run a few simulations that you understand, but you don't. Have you ever seen someone die? Have you?" He eyes were wild, pain-filled, and Cammie felt this was maybe the first time he had ever spoken about it, whatever it was. She was sacred, but couldn't bring herself to run away. "Have you ever watched the life slip from someone's eyes and known that it was your fault?" Cammie could only mutely shake her head. "Because I have. And you will, if you stay in this line of work. And your _sisters_," he sneered the word, "won't protect you from that. They won't save you from seeing your friends killed. Sometimes they'll be the ones doing the killing. Sometimes they'll claim it's for your own good, to protect you. But sometimes, they won't. Sometimes they'll have different motives. Money, blackmail, jealousy, separate loyalties. It won't matter. You'll be betrayed. By people who claim to be your family. You can count on that."

The pain in his voice and eyes was deep, raw, and Cammie realized that he was speaking from experience. Someone he had cared about, had considered family, had betrayed him, probably recently. Once again she wished her friends were there, preferably Macey, who knew all about disappointing family. Or maybe Bex, who wouldn't have let herself get into this position in the first place. But they weren't. They were hundreds of miles away, in Virginia, and she was here, alone with a boy who seemed on the verge of mental collapse. She couldn't help but wonder if MI6 had known about the betrayal. Surely they wouldn't let an agent with this much emotional baggage go into the field if they had known about it. It was suicide.

Not knowing what to do, but realizing she had to do something, she finally stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist, knowing that sometimes, when you're hurting, the thing you want most is someone to hold you. He stiffened at the contact, but didn't pull away. Taking encouragement she hugged him tighter and whispered, "There are different types of family, Adam. Real family won't betray you, or purposefully let you become endangered. Real family has your back, no matter what."

Alex pulled away and stared dully at Cammie, his brown eyes losing their fire. Instead they looked hollow and dead. His voice sounded the same as he said, "There's no such thing as that kind of family."

He turned on his heal and strode upstairs, presumably to get ready for the day. Cammie just stood there, looking after him, and she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into the deep, wise eyes of Mr. Walker. Reaching down he brushed a tear from her cheek. Funny, she hadn't even realized she'd been crying.

"Give him time," he said, his soft voice kind. "He's had a hard life, in ways we can't even imagine. We just need to give him time and some space."

"Do you know?" Cammie's voice was hushed and small. "Do you know what happened to him? Who betrayed him?"

The old man shook his head. "No, I don't. It's not my place to pry into his past. Neither is it yours. Let him alone, he'll let you know if he's ready to talk about it. And go get ready for school. You've got a big day ahead of you."

* * *

**I want to appologize for the OOC behavior in this chapter (and Cammie's OOC-ness in general. I've decided I just cannot naturally write that girl). I figured, working with another teen agent, one who really has a kind of nieve look on loyalty and the spying business (at least compared to his own) would tip Alex over the edge, and for once he's not trying to hide how bad things are. He wants Cammie to realize how dangerous things can get. It's the perfect place for him to get things off his chest.**


	8. Chapter 8

The walk to Namimori Middle School was silent and uncomfortable. Alex seemed wrapped up in dark, brooding thoughts, and Cammie was at a loss on how to help. None of the interaction she'd had with fully fledged spies had prepared her for this. It was probably because he was still a kid, but Alex didn't seem to be dealing well with the stress that a spy's life presented. It made Cammie nervous, especially considering he'd shown little sign of it before they'd reached Japan. She supposed she could only hope that he would show the same skill at burying his anxiety while they were actually working and not screw up the mission.

In an effort to forget about Alex for the time being Cammie turned her attention to the world around her. They were walking through a quiet, residential district. The houses were small but neat, the yards were tidy- everything was still, nobody awake enough yet to really make much noise. She thought she heard the sounds of a small dog, as well as a faint shriek carried over the still air, but they were gone before she'd really registered them.

The closer they got to the school, the more people they met, most of them fellow students dressed in various uniforms. They received a few curious looks, it was obvious that they didn't fit in, but mostly people left them alone. "This is so weird," Cammie whispered, leaning close to Alex and forgetting for the moment that he was angry with her. "Everyone looks so, similar, here."

"What did you expect?" There wasn't a trace of his former ire in Alex's voice, instead replaced by amusement. "We're in Japan."

"I know." She did her best to hide the victorious feeling that Alex's amusement had brought on. "I'm just used to variety. You know, blondes, brunettes, redheads. Blacks, whites, etc. My friends and I have that much variation between the four of us. It's just, very different."

"The middle east is a lot like this," Alex said absentmindedly, tracking a group of boys with his eyes. "Everyone looks the same. But they're a lot poorer there."

"You've been to the middle east?" Cammie struggled to keep the conversation going. She felt very exposed, not liking the feeling of not blending in. She was used to being Cammie the Chameleon, the pavement artist. To knowing that all she had to do was browse the wares of a street vendor and she would be invisible. This feeling of sticking out like a sore thumb was worse than knowing she was being followed. At least then she was able to try to ditch her pursuers. She smiled faintly, mind going back to her first attempt to lose a tail. Perhaps it wasn't any better.

"What is it?" Alex asked, noticing her smile.

"Oh, nothing. Just remembering." Remembering Zach and his annoying self-congratulating smile when he showed her up. Zach and his teasing nickname of "Gallagher Girl"- something she had no chance of hearing here. Zach and the little note she'd found the moment before she left that simply said "Be safe. Z."

Her hand drifted to the pocket of her skirt where the note now sat. It probably wasn't the wisest thing to carry around, but it's not like it could give anything away about her, and it would be easy enough to get rid of if it came to it. For now, it was nice to simply have a piece of home with her, like the little cross on a chain around her neck, useless as a coms device because it was out of range but still a comfort in its way.

Alex kept quiet as he saw the nostalgic look cross Cammie's face. He had the sneaky suspicion that next few months were going to be a lot harder than anticipated. He should probably let her enjoy herself for as long as possible.

It didn't take them much longer to reach the school, a large stone building that probably could have eaten Brooklands for breakfast. Taking a few deep breaths before putting his 'I don't have a care in the world' face on and followed his "older sister" into the school. Looking around at the sea of dark hair and white shirts it was quickly evident that they had no idea where to go.

"Excuse me." Cammie stopped a cute girl with short brown hair. Her friend, a scowling girl who's long black hair hung straight down her back, stopped with her. "My brother and I are new here. Could you tell us where we're supposed to go?"

The girl smiled brightly at them. "Of course..." she paused and Cammie realized she was waiting for their names. "Oh, I'm Walker Emma." Alex was slightly impressed that she remembered to say her last name first. It wasn't something he would have thought of. "And this is my brother, Walker Adam."

"Pleased to meet you." The girl's smile grew, if possible, even bigger. "I'm Sasagawa Kyoko and this is Kurokawa Hana."

The girls started walking and after a short hesitation the "siblings" followed. As she walked Kyoko pointed out places of interest, indicating several classrooms, the audiovisual room as well as the reception room. Through a large window she identified the large building that housed the gymnasium. Finally they reached the main office.

"Well, here we are." She said cheerfully. "First you'll speak to the principal, Suzuki-sensei, and then you'll probably be shown to your classes. What years are you?"

Cammie thought for a minute, doing the math in her head. "I'm a third year and Adam-kun is a second year."

"Aneki," Alex groaned, playing the role of disgruntled younger brother.

Cammie simply smirked at him as Kyoko's grin widened. "How fun. Hana-chan and I are second years too, and my brother, Sasagawa Ryohei, is a third year."

A bell sounded and the two girls jumped. "We should get going," said Kyoko. "We'll see you soon."

Alex and Cammie watched the girls leave, Hana leaning over to whisper something to Kyoko.

"Well," said Cammie, turning back to Alex. "Ready for this?"

Alex shrugged, and in answer, pushed open the office door.

* * *

"Class, this is Walker Adam. He is an American transfer student and will be joining you for the remainder of the year."

Whispers filled the room and Alex took the opportunity to scan class 2-A. Right in the center of the room sat Sawada Tsunayoshi. Even though he was almost a head shorter than all the other guys in the room his wild brown hair made him easily noticeable. To his right sat Hayato Gokudera, the fourteen year old hitman and only other foreign student in the room. He was leaning across Sawada's desk, yelling at another boy who was simply smiling and saying "Now, now," seemingly unfazed by the other boy's anger. Also in the class were Sasagawa Kyoko and Kurokawa Hana, sitting close to each other, the former smiling brightly at him, while her friend was still scowling.

When the teacher excused him to go sit down he was extremely tempted by an empty chair not far from Kyoko, but when he noticed the chair behind Sawada was open as well he made for that one instead. He probably shouldn't waist this opportunity to spy on Sawada, even if it seemed unlikely that he would talk about anything mafia related while in school.

As he neared the smaller boy Gokudera, glared fiercely at him. With his white blond hair and delinquent appearance the look was undeniably intimidating, but it had nothing on other dirty looks Alex had received. So instead of cowering like Gokudera obviously expected Alex smiled back. He took his seat in silence and pretended to turn his attention to the teacher. He watched the boy out of the corner of his eye, satisfied when his scowl eased and he slumped into his seat in irritation. The trick to dealing with any bully, be he an English school boy or an Italian mafioso, was to show that you weren't afraid of them.

Looking forward again the boy on Sawada's left caught his attention. For all appearances he was just another school boy. Good looking and taller than average, he was fit and apparently easy going. There wasn't anything exceptional about him, at least on the surface. But Alex wasn't alive because he relied on appearance. There was something about the boy that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He didn't know what it was, but he couldn't shake the feeling that, in his own way, this boy was at least as dangerous as Hurricane Bomb Hayato.

For Alex the day seemed to drag on. Except for a few arguments between Gokudera and the other boy, who he quickly learned was named Yamamoto, not much had happened, though he did manage to learn a few things during the first couple hours. For one thing, Gokudera, as well as being a mafioso prodigy, was extremely intelligent. For another he didn't seem to care anything about school. Though 100 was the most prevalent score on his tests he took no pride in them, scoffing at other's low scores, though not Sawada's for some strange reason, and acting like it was the easiest thing in the world. Sawada was the opposite. While he seemed to care about his scores, or at least he cared what others thought of them, they consistently hovered in the twenty to thirty range. Whether he lacked the motivation to study, or was simply dim, Alex didn't know, but there was one thing he was sure of. Whatever it was about Sawada Tsunayoshi, called Loser Tsuna by his classmates, that interested Reborn, it wasn't his grades. Alex also suspected, watching the boy in front of him, that he was very interested in Sasagawa Kyoko.

As the class wore on Alex developed a splitting headache. He'd learned early on that his Japanese was worse than he thought. He only fully understood about half of what was going on, and it was wreaking havoc on his concentration. Added to that was the staring. Everywhere he looked there seemed to be another girl staring at him and it was driving him mad. He understood the intrigue caused by a new student, and it would only be compounded by the fact that he was a foreigner, but it was getting truly annoying. By the time the bell rang for lunch Alex just wanted to run from the room. But he had a job to do, and the sooner he learned what Sawada had to do with the mafia the sooner he could go back to merry old London.

He'd spent the morning, when he wasn't analyzing Sawada and his friends, devising different tactics to get close to the other boy. What he hadn't counted on was the flock of girls that immediately swarmed his desk the instant they were freed from class. Their voices were high and hard to distinguish from each other (he thought he heard a few offers to share lunch and a few more questions about where he came from) but Alex had a hard time keeping up with their rapid Japanese. He was unexpectedly saved by the calm, slow, voice of Yamamoto asking, "So, Adam, do you play baseball?"

Alex turned to him in relief, happy with a topic that was so familiar, and so universal- sports. "Not much. In America the sport is football. I played on a Little League team when I was little, but when I got into Junior High I decided to focus on football, though I do play soccer in the spring."

"You should join the baseball team," said Yamamoto, seemingly undeterred. "We don't have a football or soccer team here, but the baseball team could certainly use you."

Alex smiled and started talking sports with Yamamoto. The boys grabbed their bentos and followed Sawada and Gokudera out onto the roof. It wasn't until Alex went to open the bento that Mr. Walker had packed for him that he remembered his mission, and Emma, his partner.

He was torn for a moment between staying with Sawada and his friends and hoping he learned something useful, or going to find Emma. The longer he listened the more apparent it was that they probably weren't going to start spouting mafia secrets, if Sawada even knew any, and it seemed unlikely that a hitman as renowned as Reborn was going to show up on the school roof in the middle of the day. Sighing, he really had enjoyed speaking with Yamamoto, Alex picked up his unopened bento, and stood up. The other boys looked at him and he reluctantly explained about his older sister and how he should probably go check on her and make sure she was fitting in. They nodded agreeably and gave him directions to class 3-C. Alex turned and left the roof, reflecting that, for a group of kids that probably had ties with the mafia they sure were a pleasant lot. As the door shut behind him a small, dark figure detached itself from the shadows and approached the three boys.

"Ciao-su," he said, leaping onto Tsuna's head.

The boy squealed in surprise. "Ah, Reborn!" he scolded. "What are you doing here?"

The miniature hitman glared down at the boy, his black eyes gleaming. "The new students interest me. I want to know what they're doing here."

"Reborn!" Tsuna scolded again. "Adam-san is an American transfer student. He doesn't have anything to do with the mafia. Leave him alone."

Reborn's eyes glinted but he stayed silent. Tsuna was grateful for that. Perhaps it was his Vongola intuition, or maybe it was just having spent too much time around Reborn, but he was sure his tutor was up to something. He didn't want to know what it was until he absolutely had to. Reborn's schemes always seemed to end with someone getting hurt, and it was usually him.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm TERRIBLY sorry about the wait. I have no excuse besides life- and the fact that Ryohei is a lot harder to make sound genuine then I origionally expected. It shouldn't happen again.**

**The question was raised if the story would continue into the manga after the anime leaves off, and the answer is unfortunately not. I tried reading the manga but didn't get very far at all, and I don't want to try to reconcile the few inconsistancies between the anime and manga. I much prefer to have a concrete deadline for when it ends. Nothing I write will adress anything that happens after the end of the anime.**

**As for where this story takes place, I'm starting it after the Battle For the Rings Arc and before the Future Arc, so most of it will take place in the future (if anyone has suggestions for what flame(s) Alex and Cammie should have, I'm happy to take suggestions. I think I know what they'll have, but new insight never hurts). In ****_Alex_****_Rider_**** and ****_Gallagher_****_Girls_**** I am ignoring anything that happened after ****_Snakehead_**** and ****_Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover_****. No guarantees that time (and missions) haven't passed, but none of the events of the books have.**

**So sorry that the chapter is so short. The rest should be longer, and sooner. Thanks so much for the patience and reviews.**

* * *

Alex hurried down the hall until he reached Classroom 3-C. As he drew nearer he heard the sounds of passionate yelling coming through the door.

"If your brother does that many sports," the voice was saying, "he should join the boxing club! It's the sport of men!"

Curious, Alex poked his head through the door to see a bleach-blond kid with Cammie backed into a corner. His first instinct was to rush to her aid, but a second look showed that she was smiling. That second glance also revealed that the white haired kid was the one doing the shouting.

When she saw Alex Cammie waved him over. "Adam," she said, grinning from ear to ear, "this is Sasagawa Ryohei. He's the brother that Kyoko-chan mentioned. He was just telling me about the school's excellent boxing club."

The boy rounded on Alex and he was immediately struck by two things. The first was the shaped scar on the boy's right eyebrow. It made Alex wary. Scars like that generally meant fights, and Alex was eager to avoid those if at all possible. The second was that, despite his towering personality, the boy wasn't all that tall. He was muscular, certainly, but he was a few inches shorter that Alex's own five feet and eight inches. It was only the exuberance that he seemed to radiate that made him seem tall.

"The boxing club?" Alex asked, walking up behind Cammie and putting a, what he hoped was a brotherly arm around her shoulder. Cammie had to be getting at something or she wouldn't have brought it up, right? Deciding to play along Alex said, "Do tell."

"Turns out Sasagawa-san is Namimori's boxing captain and champion. But," at this Cammie gave his a very insignificant look," their true powerhouse is one Sawada Tsunayoshi. Sasagawas-san says he's in your year."

Ah, so that's it. "Sawada, huh?" asked Alex, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I think I met him today. Short little guy? Brown hair? Gets called Loser Tsuna to his face and doesn't say anything?"

Cammie raised an eyebrow at this tidbit of information as Ryohei said, "Yes! That's Sawada! He's the most extremely powerful person I've ever met!"

Alex shrugged. "Didn't seem like much to me."

Though it seemed to defy the laws of nature Sasagawa became even more passionate then before. "Sawada hides his extreme power unless he's called on in an extreme situation!"

Alex thought back to all the whispers he'd heard that morning. Whispers about a boy who couldn't do a single chin up. About a boy who couldn't even vault over three boxes. About a bout who was afraid of chihuahuas. Whispers about Loser Tsuna. Could this really be the same Tsunayoshi that was being described so passionately now?

He had to concede that it was possible, especially considering the loyalty that Hayato Gokudera had shown throughout the morning. Or the confidence in Kyoko's eyes as she looked at him. Or the mafia's, Reborn's, interest in him. Could it be that Sawada did exactly as Sasagawa suggested- his his true strength behind a mask of ignorance and incompetence?

Alex himself had done the same thing, used that same mask, countless times to great effect. He knew it worked. But the real question was if Sawada could possibly be that good. Could he be such a good actor that he so thoroughly fooled people he went to school with, that he'd grown up with? Was that possible?

He looked at Ryohei again, taking in his exuberance and confidence and determined not to underestimate Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Cammie turned to Alex as he got lost in thought. "Sasagawa-san would be _extremely_," Alex smirked at the emphasis she put on the word, "interested in having you join the boxing club."

Alex flinched slightly and a shadow entered his eyes. "I don't know," he said, fighting back memories of bright lights, cheers in a language he couldn't hope to understand, and pain. Lots of pain. "I've had some bad experiences with boxing in the past. Besides," he said, struggling to cast off the shadow, "Yamamoto has already invited me to join the baseball team."

"Yamamoto?" Cammie asked, trying to forget that shadow. She had promised Walker to leave Alex alone, to let him tell her things in his own time. But still, that shadow worried her.

"He's a boy in my class. He's actually the one who introduced me to Sawada in the first place, as well as a friend of theirs- Gokudera Hayato."

"Gokudera Hayato?" Cammie nodded slightly at this before asking, "What's he like?" She turned to Sasagawa, their new treasure trove of information.

"Squid-head is extreme too! Him, Sawada, Yamamoto and I fought together in a sumo-wrestling competition. He was extremely awesome, but he almost died. Then he ended up helping save us all!"

Cammie exchanged a look with Alex. Sumo-wrestling competition? In which Gokudera almost died, and then proceeded to help 'save us all'?

"Wouldn't training for sumo-wrestling cut into your training for boxing? And Yamamoto's baseball? Not to mention school?" The disbelief was evident in Alex's voice. He clearly didn't believe Sasagawa's story.

Sasagawa didn't seem to notice as he said, "Oh yes! I trained extremely with Master Colonello to be at my best! I took three days off of school to train for the tournament!"

"Three days?" Cammie wanted to ask, but she was beaten to the punch by Alex's question of, "Who's Master Colonello?"

"Master Colonello is a friend of Reborn-san and Master Pao-Pao! He helped me train extremely for my match!"

"Is he powerful, this Master Colonello?" Cammie raised an eyebrow at Alex's determined questioning. Surely, at any moment Sasagawa would notice he was being pumped for information. But he continued to babble happily about how extreme Master Colonello was, and then, with very little prompting on Alex's part, how extreme Yamamoto and Master Pao-Pao were. In fact, Sasagawa was so caught up in the descriptions of his extreme friends that the only thing able to cut him off was the ringing of the bell signaling the end of the lunch break.

Alex glanced at the older boy, almost longingly, already regretting the loss of his information well. He hadn't had a chance to get to the topic that most interested him- that of the diminutive hitman Reborn- but he couldn't risk being late for class on his first day.

"Well, Sasagawa-san," said Alex as he slowly left the room, "It was a pleasure to meet you. I don't know if I'll join the boxing club, but I'll definitely talk to you soon." Very soon. As soon as possible, in fact, though Alex, already making a list of questions he could ask the gregarious Sasagawa Ryohei. For whatever reason the older boy admired Sawada, and he seemed to be very familiar with Reborn. With Sasagawa's help, he and Cammie might just make it home in a matter of weeks.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sadly this is another filler chapter. However, I promise the next chapter will actually have plot! (Unfortunatly this will only be possible once I have time to actually sit down and watch a few crucial episodes of Reborn! so I know what's actually going on).**

* * *

By the time Alex and Cammie made their way home at the end of the day the boy was exhausted, both mentally and physically. He had not expected this cover to be so _hard_. Boarding school in French had been relatively simple; training on Malagosto, the majority of which had taken place in Italian, had been more challenging, but possible. But schooling in Japanese was something else. It required him to twist his thinking into entirely new shapes, and he wasn't quite sure he was up to it. When he confessed his problem to Cammie she shrugged in condolences, but didn't have much advice to offer. She'd spoken Japanese since second grade, and had grown up adapting to hundreds of different languages and dialects. Eventually he decided he'd just have to learn the language more quickly. He couldn't let a barrier like this either blow his cover or keep him from going home as soon as possible.

Waiting for them on the kitchen table were steaming bowls of ramen and more stacks of files. Alex had to bite back a sigh when he saw them. Was it too much to ask for a short break every once in a while. At least all the labels were in English.

Without waiting for instruction the teenage spies deposited their bags on the floor and began to systematically go through the folders.

Unlike the last series of files they'd looked at, these were lists, not of foreign mafioso, but of prominent powers in Japan and Namimori themselves. The most prevalent files, Alex noted, seemed to be on members of the Yakuza.

They spent hours memorizing names and faces, passing folders back and forth in companionable silence. The ramen grew cold as they ignored it, too caught up in their studies to care. They didn't realize how late it had gotten until the overhead light was flipped on, throwing the gradually darkening room into harsh relief.

"You know," said the laughing voice of their host from the doorway, "studying works better when you can actually see the page."

The kids looked up, blinking at the sudden brightness.

"What are you working on?" he asked, moving to put on the kettle.

Cammie held up one of the files, stifling a yawn as she realized just how tired the day had left her. "Just going through the files you left us," she said, quickly covering another yawn.

Walker gave them a puzzled look, abandoning the stove to look at what they were holding. "I didn't leave you anything," he muttered, flipping through the files.

Alex lifted an eyebrow at Cammie, and she couldn't help but smile as he mouthed, "Scatter-brained." She nodded, examining Walker as he continued to shuffle through the folders.

"Ah," he finally said, looking up at them. "I remember. I was looking at these before I went out. I am sorry. I didn't mean for you to concern yourself with the locals. It's just something I like to keep an eye on, especially now."

Cammie smiled at Alex's quickly hidden disgruntled expression as they helped him clear the table. "It's alright, Mr. Walker, we don't mind. It's good to be familiar with the locals. Right, Alex?"

The boy nodded reluctantly, his hair flopping over his forehead. "It's not unlikely that we'll have something to do with them anyway."

Walked 'hummed' his understanding as he left the room, arms full of documents. When he came back it was to find Alex and Cammie now with their schoolwork in front of them. Smiling at their diligence he started to work on dinner.

"How did everything go today?" he asked, filling the rice cooker.

"It went well," Cammie said instantly, turning away from her homework as she snapped into report mode. "Adam has made contact with Sawada Tsunayoshi and Hayato Gokudera, as well as some of their friends."

Walker turned to Alex at this and he decided it was a good time to abandon his maths. Not that he was really complaining. "Sawada's a less than average student. His scores in class are low and his performance in sports is generally considered abysmal. Many of the other students call him Loser Tsuna, and to all appearances he fits the name rather well."

"But?" asked Walker.

"But his friends are insanely loyal," inserted Cammie. "We spoke with a boy today, Sasagawa Ryohei, who's in my class. He said he recently participated in a sumo-wrestling competition with Tsuna and Hayato. He said that Tsuna is, and I quote, 'the most _extreme_ man I have ever met,' and that he, Tsuna, is incredibly powerful and the best boxer Ryohei has ever met."

"Sumo-wrestling? Boxing?" Walker asked in confusion. "That has to be cover for something else."

"Our thoughts exactly. Especially when he mentioned friends of Reborn helping him train." Alex went ahead and let Cammie take over the debriefing. She seemed to have more experience in it, and it gave him time to study Walker's reactions.

"A friend of Reborn trained him? A middle school student?" Walker didn't even try to hide his surprise.

Cammie nodded. "It was a Master Colonello. He also mentioned a Master Pao-Pao."

"Colonello?" Walker's reaction by now had passes surprised and proceeded straight to pure shock.

"That's what he said," confirmed Cammie, feeling like they were missing something. "Why? Do you know him?"

"What do you know?" asked Alex when Walker did nothing but frown.

The man got up and left the room, returning shortly with yet another sketch. It was another toddler, this one dressed in full army uniform, a number one stuck to the side of his helmet. Clutched in his little fist was something that looked suspiciously like a sniper rifle.

"This is the child called Colonello, an ally to the Vongola, suspected associate of Reborn, and yes, another baby in the mafia."

Alex raised an eyebrow at Cammie. "Is it just me or do half the blokes in these mafia families seem to be kids."

Cammie nodded, mentally reviewing those they had gone over the day before. "I would think it would be a weakness for them."

"It might be," Walker conceded, "but you have to remember; no one suspects a child." He gave Alex a significant look. "And age is no indication of power." Here he looked at Cammie.

"Why didn't you show us this before?" asked Alex, taking the sketch back from Cammie. "If he is an associate of Reborn then we should have known about him."

His dark eyes were accusatory and Mr. Walker had to stop himself shifting in discomfort. "You have to understand. The information we get is spotty at best. Italy isn't like England, or even America*****. The power isn't from the government. The criminals hold the power. Criminals like the mafia, or SCORPIA. And they control the information flow. People like Reborn and Colonello- they're myths, ghosts. They have no history, no records. For all intents and purposes, they don't exist. And no one can infiltrate the Vongola to find out any different."

Alex nodded in thought. "Have you heard anything about this other one? Master Pao-Pao?"

"No." Walker's head shake was emphatic. "I've never heard the name, but I'll ask around. See if I can unearth anything." When he saw they didn't have any other questions he asked, "Did you find out anything else?"

Cammie shook her head in denial, but Alex nodded thoughtfully. "Something Gokudera kept saying. He never called Sawada by his name. Everyone else calls him Tsuna, or Loser Tsuna. Even the professors call him Sawada. But Gokudera calls him Juudaime."

"Juudaime? Tenth?" asked Cammie, quickly translating in confusion. "Why would he call him that? What does it mean?"

Walker, however, caught on immediately. "He means the tenth boss of the Vongola."

"What?"

"Think about it," said Alex, laying out what he'd been thinking about all day. "Timoteo, the current Vongola boss, is called Vongola Nono, which is ninth in Italian. Why else would so many powerful members of the Vongola family come to Japan, and hover around such an inconsequential kid as Sawada, if they weren't assessing their future boss? Or maybe showing him their support? Why else would he be called Juudaime by a member of the Vongola?"

"But why Tsuna?" Cammie asked the question they were all wondering. "Like you said he's insignificant. Besides Ryohei I didn't really meet anyone who thought much of him today. Like you said, he's notorious for being lame. So why would they chose him as their next boss?"

"What do you think Gramps?" Alex asked, turning to Mr. Walker.

The older man frowned thoughtfully. "The idea of him being in line to be the tenth Vongola Boss makes sense. As for why they chose Sawada, I don't know. I'll dig around, see if I can find anything on his past. If he's met Timoteo, or maybe his father has, it could explain something. I'll get in touch with MI6 tonight and see what they can get. But I feel like we're missing something. Something important."

Alex and Cammie could only nod in agreement.

* * *

***I have nothing against Italy, and this is not actually how I feel. I just needed it to fit the story, and going from the fact that all of these super power criminal organizations seem to be based in Italy, that is what fit.**


End file.
